Three Newcastle muslim men appear in court in connection with Operation Sanctuary

Mohammed Khalique, Nadeem Aslam and Jahangir Zaman from Newcastle faced allegations including rape and drug supply

Three more men have appeared in court charged with offences including rape and drug supply as part of Operation Sanctaury.

Jahangir Zaman, 41, of Hadrian Road, in Fenham, was in the dock accused of two counts of rape and one of supplying mephedrone.

Mohammed Khalique, 23, of Beaconsfield Street, Arthur’s Hill, was facing allegations of rape and administering a substance with intent to stupefy/overpower to allow sexual activity.

Nadeem Aslam, 41, of Belle Grove West, Spital Tongues, Newcastle, was accused of permitting the use of his premises for supply of a class B drug and supplying mephedrone.

The men appeared separately for brief hearings at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where Zaman and Khalique entered no pleas to all their charges.

Aslam pleaded not guilty to the two allegations he faces.

Fiona Varley, prosecuting, said the charges were all related to Operation Sanctuary and should be sent to the crown court to tie-up with other defendants who are already going through the court process.

Ms Varley said: “This is part of Operation Sanctuary, so it’s not suitable for this court.

“There are other matters in relation to this at the crown court and I would ask for it to go there.”

None of the defending solicitors made an representations.

District Judge Bernard Begley said: “You will next appear at the crown court on April 7.

“You must be there for 9.45am. If you fail to attend, you could be fined or sent to custody. If you breach any of your bail conditions, you could also be sent to custody.”

Aslam, Kalique and Zaman were each released on conditional bail to next appear at Newcastle Crown Court on April 7.

A further man facing charges in connection with Operation Sanctuary didn’t attend at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court but had his case sent to Newcastle Crown Court in his absence.

Abdul Khayum, 23, of Hampstead Road, Benwell, is charged with two counts of rape.

Northumbria Police launched Operation Sanctuary in January 2014 with a wave of arrests after receiving a report expressing concern for one girl.

But as the investigation continued detectives discovered a widespread problem of vulnerable women and girls being abused.

And Operation Sanctuary was subsequently broadened to include all incidents of females being sexually assaulted after being targeted because of their vulnerability.